


Smoke and Wine

by AvaCelt



Series: 2020 Bollywood Prompt Fills [11]
Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst and Drama, Angst with a Happy Ending, Black Comedy, F/M, Family Feels, Gen, Inspired by Bollywood, M/M, Team as Family, references to sexytimes but nothing explicit!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27813979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvaCelt/pseuds/AvaCelt
Summary: With Finral and Finesse's wedding approaching, of course the Black Bulls devolve into a civil war while an old enemy prepares to strike again. [post-Spade Kingdom Arc]
Relationships: Asta/Liebe (Black Clover), Finesse Calmreich/Finral Roulacase, Finral Roulacase & Langris Vaude, Jack the Ripper/Yami Sukehiro, Langris Vaude/Finesse Calmreich, Vanessa Enoteca & Finral Roulacase
Series: 2020 Bollywood Prompt Fills [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1969198
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12
Collections: IAmStoryteller's Best of Black Clover Fic Rec





	Smoke and Wine

**Author's Note:**

> Hmm yes, twas quite unhinged when I wrote this, enjoy. *3*

It was Henry who figured it out by eavesdropping on the younger male sequestered in his room. The stink of alcohol and sweat was heavy in the air, so Henry had to be extra careful not to get caught. He expected to see Finral crying over paperwork with a bottle of wine as he often did, but instead, the younger man was doubled over on his bed sobbing into his pillow while empty bottles littered the floor.

Henry always did his rounds at night to make sure his friends are safely away tucked away in their rooms, and if any of them had invited guests over, he'd quietly drop condoms and lube onto their desks before moving on to the next room. It was his duty as the lord of the house, since Yami never paid a day of rent and refused to let Henry sign over the deed to his name.

So it was Henry who first found out that Finral was seriously considering running away from his own wedding.

* * *

“Wait, he _chose_ to relieve the the other bastard,” Captain Yami deadpanned, “why the hell's he cryin' now?”

“Maybe the girl's family aint payin' enough on the dowry,” Captain Jack added seriously.

Noelle tried not to have a stroke, and wondered why all of the Black Bulls, sans Finral Roulacase, were piled into Captain Yami's bedroom at two in the morning, with both her captain and the Green Mantis' captain clad only in boxers. The taller of the two at least had the decency to pull a blanket over his shoulders, but Captain Yami was sitting around like he owned the place, even though everyone knew he didn't pay rent.

She looked around the room, saw a disgruntled Charmy floating on cotton with her hair undone, while Vanessa yawned next to a blank-faced Nero. Magna and Luck snored lightly next to each other. The others were just as tired and annoyed, but Grey was at least anxious.

“Everyone,” Henry's soft voice came from up above, “I'm glad we've all gathered for this very important meeting.”

“Whatever this shit is, it better have been worth spoiling my sleep,” Yami grumbled, sliding closer to Captain Jack who stared distastefully up at the ceiling while Captain Yami somehow found himself in Captain Jack's arms.

“It's a serious matter, Yami!” Henry called from up above. “We might have a crisis on our hands!”

“Did Captain Dumbass here forget to pay his creditors or something?” Zora drawled from next to Gordon. Without his mask gone and hair undone, he looked like a completely different person. The first time Noelle saw him bare-faced, she thought the Captain had picked up another stray.

“Who you callin' dumb!”

“You, dumbass, now shut up,” Captain Jack grunted, bonked Captain Yami on the head, and looked up at the ceiling again. “Speak, Ghost Man.”

“His name is Henry,” Gauche hissed.

Captain Jack looked puzzled. “But he's a ghos-”

“-ANYWHO,” Noelle interrupted. She cleared her throat and looked up at Henry's face peering down at them. “Please continue, Henry.”

“Finral is planning to run away,” Henry sniffed.

Noelle could _feel_ the fumes radiating off Captain Yami, and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she felt the tell-tale signs of a migraine emerge.

“He said he was gonna marry her, but now he wants to run out on her?” Captain Yami said, deadly soft. He detached himself from Captain Jack. “Guess I have no choice.”

“Captain!” Magna squeaked, having magically woken up just as Yami started to get angry.

“ _I'm gonna kill him!”_ Captain Yami roared, and if it hadn't been for the fact that he was only in boxers, his sword somewhere underneath his bed, and Captain Jack's hand on the elastic band of his boxers and holding him back from further embarrassing himself, then maybe Finral really would have died that night.

But be didn't. Instead, Captain Jack snapped the elastic band back hard enough for Captain Yami to yelp and plop down on his bed again, rubbing the red spot on his back.

Noelle wished she was old enough to drink.

“... I don't blame him,” Charmy groused from her floating piece of cotton. “He didn't want the responsibility to begin with! He felt pressured after Langris-chan had his breakdown, and he didn't want him to deal with an arranged marriage _and_ his declining mental health! Finral did his duty, but at the cost of his own freedom. It's not right, la!”

Gordon mumbled something from next to Charmy, which Grey anxiously translated for the group. “C-Charmy-san is right! F-F-Finral-san o-only did it to h-help L-Langris-san!”

“Well if he used his brain instead of his anxiety to do the talking, then he would have asked the lady to play along on the farce instead of promising his hand in marriage,” Gauche countered. “This is the kind of shit that gets nobles stabbed in the middle of the night. If that girl's family finds out, they'll string him up.”

“But if he didn't have a choice, then the marriage should have fell through from the start,” Zora retorted. “He didn't have a choice then, but he has one now, and if he wants to drop out, I say we let him.”

“This is all really rich coming from a bunch of squatters!” Gimodelo cheered from the corner, Nacht sleeping deeply on his chest while the others grimaced.

“I say we vote on it!” Asta piped up. “Captain Yami and Charmy-paisen are both right, and we'll do our best to make sure both Finral-senpai and Finesse-san are both OK with the outcome!”

“But the noblewoman is in love with Highlights,” Liebe deadpanned.

Asta blinked, comically confused as always. “Huh?”

Gimodelo laughed, Asta remained confused, and Noelle stopped trying to stave off the headache.

“We'll vote,” Noelle finalized. “Between supporting Finral's decision to break the engagement, and stopping him from running away!”

“Injustice!” Charmy roared. “We'd be forcing him into a marriage! I won't let this stand!”

“Finesse-san is in love with Finral-senpai?” Asta cried to Liebe, who merely patted his shoulder. “I had no idea! Poor Finesse-san!”

Noelle really wished she'd taken up drinking when no one was looking.

* * *

At the conclusion of the diet, it was a split down the middle. Charmy, Gimodelo, Gimodelo on behalf of Nacht's comatose figure, Jack the Ripper, Zora, Gordon, and Grey were all in favor of helping Finral break off the engagement, while Yami, Magna, Gauche, Asta, Liebe, Luck who'd finally managed to wake up, and Noelle were in favor of forcing Finral to own up to his promises.

Nobody noticed Vanessa, Henry, and Nero slip out in the middle of the vote.

And they certainly didn't notice Vanessa carrying an unconscious Finral out of the base and onto her broom, while Henry's bite-sized brick soldiers piled some of Finrals bags onto the broom.

And they certainly didn't notice Vanessa flying off with the sleeping man, nor did they notice Henry appear back in the ceiling like he hadn't just aided and abetted a runaway groom.

And nobody noticed Nero watching everything go down from her perch on the roof.

* * *

“Wait, so you bastards ruined my night when you _knew_ he was gonna run off anyway!?” Yami yelled the following morning, all of the Black Bulls, plus Captain Jack, circled around a steaming hot breakfast of assorted dishes.

“How were we supposed to know?” Zora drawled while reaching for his second cup of coffee.

“Henry-san did the right thing!” Charmy claimed with a haughty sniff.

“What the hell are we supposed to tell his brother?” Liebe grumbled, preparing to bite into his oversized loaf of bread.

Asta frowned, following Liebe's direction and plucking a loaf of bread off the giant platter at the center of the table. “He's supposed to be at the tailor's later for his fitting. What are we gonna do, Captain Yami?”

“We're not gonna do _shit_ ,” Yami spat, greedily piling his plate high with sausage and pastries. “What Henry and _Vanessa_ are gonna do is bring that little bastard back so he can face the music!”

“How about you focus on _your_ relationship while I focus on my friend's mental health and well-being,” Vanessa snapped at last, shooting up from her chair at the far end of the table, nostrils fuming. Henry poked his head out from where a brick was supposed to be right behind her tall, imposing figure.

Yami promptly stopped piling his plate and turned a deadly eye towards her. “Come again?”

“I'm sure Captain Jack didn't put lube in your ears last night, _Danchou.”_ She hissed while Jack the Ripper choked on his biscuit and Yami clambered out of his seat. Charmy handed the Green Mantis' Captain a napkin and a mug of water while Lucky beat his back emphatically with a string of high-pitched chuckles.

Yami stalked up to the woman and met her eye to eye. “I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that, but what I _will_ hear later this afternoon is that coward coming home with his wedding clothes wrapped neatly in a box. _That's_ what I'm gonna here, because I am _ordering_ you to bring him back!” With that, he whipped out a cigarette, lit it, and blew a plume a smoke right in her face.

The edge of the table Vanessa was holding onto snapped in her hands, and her empty plate clattered to the floor. Henry gasped from behind, while the rest of the Black Bulls suddenly found themselves still and silent.

“You never think about anyone but yourself, do you, Yami Sukehiro?” Vanessa said, deadly soft. Asta almost choked on his orange juice when he realized how eerily similar the tone was to the Witch Queen's.

Yami twitched. “What the hell's that supposed to mean?”

“Did you maybe think to ask how Finral felt when he realized that part of the reason why his brother fell under the elf's possession in the first place was because of the immense pressure his parents were putting on him?” She climbed out of her seat and stepped toe to toe with the taller man, her voice rising with every word. “And that before Langris, it was Finral dealing with their insanity, day in and day out? And that for Langris, he went back to the _same_ Hell he ran from because he _loves_ him? And that he's willing to sacrifice his freedom if it means saving his brother from devolving into a madman who Ledior Vaude will have _no_ problem locking away if it means protecting his stupid reputation? Did you think about that? Or were you too busy sneaking around with Captain Jack, even though everyone knows you've been sleeping together since we came back from Spade!?”

“HE'S A COWARD!” Yami bellowed while everyone winced. “HE'S BEEN DOING THIS SHIT FROM DAY ONE, AND JUST WHEN HE'S GETTING HIS PRIORITIES STRAIGHT, YOU ENABLE HIM TO RUN FROM HIS RESPONSIBILITIES! WHAT THE HELL, VANESSA!”

“GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS, YAMI!” She thundered back in return. “THIS ISN'T ABOUT HIM WHORING AROUND, THIS IS ABOUT HIS STEPMOTHER SABOTAGING HIS LIFE SINCE HIS MOTHER DIED! IT'S ABOUT HIS FATHER PITTING HIS CHILDREN AGAINST EACH OTHER LIKE THEY'RE DOGS! IT'S ABOUT BEING LOCKED AWAY IN A CAGE THAT LOOKS LIKE A CASTLE! IT'S ABOUT HIM HAVING NO OTHER WAY TO COPE WITH HIS LIFE EXCEPT BY RUNNING AWAY!”

“You think those excuses still fly when you're this old?” He spat back. “If he didn't want it, he could have gotten out of it _before_ we reached the part where there's a fucking _wedding_ in two days, Vanessa! If he thought about this with his brain instead of his limp dick, then _maybe,_ we wouldn't be at the point where there's a sick lady waiting for him at the altar!”

Vanessa's eyes glowed with rage while her hands shook. “Finesse isn't an idiot! She knows he doesn't love her, and that he never will! She can be reasoned with, but the Vaudes can't! Why can't you understand that!?”

“Don't act like there isn't a horde waiting to defend him!” Yami retorted with a scathing laugh. “Where were you when he was having his crisis, huh? Why didn't _you_ speak to Ledior Vaude instead, since you think you're his champion!”

“Because he's afraid and doesn't want to inconvenience anyone, you insensitive bastard!” She spat back, Rouge perched in a crouch on her shoulder, ready to pounce on command. “If you just tried _listening_ to him once in a while, maybe you would have noticed how much pain he was in! I'm a bloody alcoholic and I saw it; what's your excuse, Boss!?”

“MY EXCUSE!? My excuse is that I thought he was grown enough to deal with his shit! Sorry if I thought he'd finally managed to grow the fuck up in the last five years, and y'know, take some _fucking_ responsibility!”

“I am taking responsibility,” came a soft voice. Everyone turned to the figure standing at the entrance of the great dining hall. Finral stood in the previous day's clothes, bedraggled and stinking of the previous night's alcohol, but awake, and oddly calm.

“Finr-” Charmy began.

“-I'm sorry,” he interrupted quickly. He walked into the room, spine stiff as bamboo and went as far as the front end of the table where Charmy was seated. “I wasn't myself last night. I guess I just needed... a night to myself,” he said with a nervous laugh. “It's OK, Vanessa-san! It'll be fine. Danchou's right. I have to take responsibility. It's not fair to Finesse-san, or to Langris, or anyone really. I'm sorry for worrying you all.”

No one talked nor moved for several seconds until Nero flapped her wings. She flew out of her seat at the table and landed on Finral's shoulder. “You stink,” she deadpanned.

“You do,” Jack agreed.

“Go bathe,” Nacht ordered pleasantly.

Finral laughed nervously once more, nodded in assent, and then turned around and headed for the stairs.

No one said anything for the remainder of breakfast.

* * *

Langris Vaude was many things, but blind wasn't one of them.

So he knew, just as Finesse did, that his brother did not love the woman he was arranged to marry in Langris' stead. Finesse understood this with melancholy in her chest because she had grown to love his big brother. Langris, the fool, understood this with equal parts despair and rage because of _course_ his idiot brother would steal the heart of the only woman Langris had ever loved, and a woman who'd been forced to switch between the brothers based on an archaic agreement between the two houses, forever trapped in a tug of war where there were no victors. Langris Vaude was many things, but blind wasn't one of them.

And so he made his move.

* * *

“So... you're not gonna apologize to her?”

Yami huffed and took a drag of his cigarette. “ _She_ can apologize to _me_.”

“... but you were a dick.”

“Since when do you have a brain?”

Jack grimaced and turned away. He stepped onto his broom and let it slowly hover a few feet off the ground before propelling it forward with a spark of mana applied right to the core of the broom.

He didn't look back and he didn't say goodbye.

* * *

“Liebe?”

“What?”

“Do you like being with me?”

“... is that a trick question?”

Asta climbed up the ladder to the top bunk. Liebe grunted and pressed his back against the wall while Asta squeezed into the little space he had left to spare. He rolled his eyes once the shorter boy was finally settled in.

“Seriously,” Asta said very, very seriously, which disconcerted Liebe more than he'd ever admit. “Do you like... are you happy?”

Liebe blinked, taken aback. He pursed his lips and thought about how to carefully answer the question, but before he could get a word out, Asta was crying into his pillow, eyes very, _very_ hurt.

“Stop crying,” snapped the demon half of the pair, but that only seemed to make Asta cry harder. Liebe gulped, trying to figure out which words would make the stupid man calm down.

But Liebe wasn't quick enough.

“I should have known,” Asta hiccuped, eyes wet and bottom lip quivering. “Is this how Finesse-san will live, knowing Finral-senpai will never love her?”

Liebe closed his mouth and averted his eyes. He found that the wooden railing of the top bunk was much more interesting that Asta's tearful eyes and wet nose currently dripping snot into his precious pillow. “It's not the same for everyone,” he began. “These things... they depend on the ones who enter into the contract. Some are... happy. Some are not. Some-”

“-hate each other,” Asta interrupted with a sob. “R-right?”

Liebe sighed. “Right.”

* * *

The day before the wedding, Finral took a long walk. He left before dawn, and cut through the more arduous paths before arriving in a clearing overlooking a small river that cut through some of the surrounding villages. He arrived just in time to see a farmer usher a herd of horses onto the banks of the river for their morning drink.

Finral uncapped his water bottle and drank from the container in tandem with the horses. His lips stretched into a small smile as the sun finally finished rising, drenching the forest and river in raw, orange light. Finral felt goosebumps rise in his skin and shivered as slowly, but surely, the earth began to warm up.

He thought about the wedding clothes sitting in his bedroom at the base, a room that would stop being his tomorrow. A dry laugh escaped his lips and he scratched the back of his head, thinking about all the little things he hadn't yet packed, and all the little things he'd purposefully leave behind. He had just a few more books and diaries to burn before he was finally get rid of his former self, but he also knew that Henry and the others could manage that cleanup well-enough on their own.

He thought about the silk brocade and soft cotton that made up his wedding suit, the firm leather of his shoes, the satin gloves. He recalled the feeling of the rough but ornate jacquard that detailed his cape, and the hand-cut gems that adorned his wedding jewelry.

He thought about the diadem that his father only wore at the most auspicious of occasions, the one that had been passed down from generation to generation, and the one that would end up on his head the following morning as he wed Finesse Calmreich of the Kira clan.

Finral remembered gold encrusted with black diamonds and emeralds. The patterns were so intricately carved that he remembered spending hours as a child just staring at the diadem sitting in its glass case in the grand hall of Castle Vaude. It was a beauty to look at.

And it was the one thing he'd never wanted, because it was the the hand-carved masterpiece of the clan, and the crown jewel of the House. It was the Head of Vaude's symbol when he walked into the room, and proof that the family belonged in the upper echelons of society.

It proved that Finral, despite everything, couldn't defeat his blood, even when he ran, whored around, and drank until he couldn't drink anymore. Twenty-two and sold via contract, just like the Vaudes before him.

“Wish you were here, Mama,” he found himself whispering into the cold morning wind. He looked around and saw no one in the clearing, and when he looked down at the river, he saw the farmer had already begun to lead his horses away. The sun continued to bear down, and his stomach grumbled, and Finral found it hilarious that his body still did its usual things while his thoughts were in shambles, and his heart breaking with every second. His stomach grumbled again, and so he finished off the water, got up, and began walking back to the base.

Except he ended up detouring as many times as he could on an empty stomach, worked through old routes and new, found some fruits he picked but didn't eat, and arrived back at the base just hours before sunset. Before he walked through the doors, he transported to the nest Nero kept on the roof of the building, and left the fruits next to it.

He found Charmy, Grey, and Gordon waiting eagerly for him in his room.

“Uh... hello?”

“Dinner!” Charmy shrieked.

“... sure?”

“Good, get him Grey!”

Grey shrieked as well, before turning into Gordon, and then two Gordons grabbed Finral and dragged him down to the dining hall, led by Commander Charmy.

The wedding garb lay forgotten in their boxes while Charmy Pappitson stuffed her friends full of nummies.

Finral supposed he'd miss mealtime the most.

* * *

The thing with love was that it could easily be construed as obsession. Passion was tricky in that sense. Most crimes in their lovely little kingdom were committed due to passion, and love was euphoric due to its passion-inducing nature. Or maybe it was the other way around? Passion happened first, and then someone fell in love? Well, it was all besides the point _anyway._ Langris didn't need to be an expert on the matter, because he had _experience_. A lifetime of jealousy, hatred, and _lots_ of ugly fantasies where his brother didn't exist at least gave him some understanding of the word 'love' and its close cousin, 'obsession.'

Love was vicious, even toxic at times. Love was what made his darling brother defend him, even though he knew Langirs should have at _least_ been institutionalized. Langris knew he was lucky he escaped with only a few days in an interrogation unit both before and _after_ the elven invasion. He was released on good behavior _without_ having his honor stripped, even though he was banned from rejoining the Magic Knights again until his 25th birthday.

The Magic Knights were an afterthought these days, because there were more pressing matters at hand, and these matters would need to be resolved before Langris could work his way up the military hierarchy once again. There were affairs to sort out, after all.

Love was what made his mother smother him with too much love and not enough discipline. It was what drove him to hate, and hate, and hate some more because why would _anyone_ love someone like him when Finral and his perfect smile and perfect laugh were always out and about, like a beacon of warmth in a house of horrors? Langris knew he was an ugly creature to gaze upon, not nearly as approachable as his brother, and barely the man _anyone_ wanted him to be, so really, why would he turn out any other way? Because what _was_ Langris next to his darling brother? He wasn't a whore, he wasn't a scoundrel, and he didn't use hair dye to feel better, and yet, he was nothing.

He was nothing next a kind man with a good heart, even if that heart was fickle with the ladies, so Langris decided that he would live up to his nature.

And so once again, he became the villain in the story.

* * *

“What the hell is Beanpole doing here?” Yami deadpanned, dropping his unlit cigarette from his hand.

“... is that Captain Jack _in a suit?”_ Charmy gasped, scandalized.

“I didn't even think he owned a suit,” Yami said worriedly. “Why the hell's he wearing a suit?”

“Why aren't _you_ wearing a suit?” Zora drawled, in a shirt and tie with his mask firmly in place.

“I don't _have_ one,” Yami hissed, swatting at the younger male. “Goddammit, he's tryna outshine me! This isn't even his subordinate's wedding!”

“At least he dressed the part,” Nero observed with a blank face. “He looks very handsome.”

“He doesn't want you,” Yami snapped at the birdwoman before fishing out a fresh cigarette. He kept his eyes on the tall man dressed in a plain navy blue suit and worn loafers, his hair tied in a neat little ponytail.

Yami gulped, sensing the incoming storm.

* * *

Finral arrived last, as he always did, never first, but always just in time.

Finesse was waiting for him at the altar, dressed in rich blues and golds. Her veil was a shimmery purple, and reminded Finral of the many early sunsets he's witnessed with his friends over the years.

“Ready, Nii-san?” Langris was calm and collected as always, dressed in their family's golds and greens.

Finral nodded, though the smile didn't quite reach his lips. “Yeah.”

Langris' eyes were unreadable, but he didn't _seem_ angry, and Finral supposed that was all he could ask for at this point. The next morning, they would be living under the same roof again, and Finral would have to nod, bow, and stride as befitting a lord, instead of sneaking and scampering about like a rat bastard.

Except, Finral _was_ a rat bastard, but he was Ledior Vaude's rat bastard, so unlike other bastards, he couldn't escape his fate.

“Shall we?” Langris offered his arm.

Finral mustered his best smile before taking his younger brother's arm.

And then he walked down the aisle.

* * *

“Liebe,” Asta whispered.

“Hmm?” Liebe was under a thick glamour that hid his horns, sharp teeth, beady eyes, and tail. He looked much like a caricature of a human, but it was the caricature he'd needed to enter the wedding venue. Ledior Vaude wouldn't have allowed a demon to enter his son's wedding, and Asta still hadn't learned to control his power enough to carry Liebe around in his pocket while in public, not like Nacht could. Gimodelo was currently peeking out of Nacht's cape to watch Finral's procession down the aisle.

“I'll free you one day; I promise.”

Liebe sighed, but kept his eyes on the steady procession. “Do what you want.”

“I mean it,” the younger male said firmly. “I'll find a way. I want you to be happy, Liebe.”

“I am happy, asshole,” Liebe whispered back, his gaze lingering on Finral Roulacase's stiff shoulders as he was halfway to the altar. “But I guess my feelings don't matter.” Liebe shrugged with a dry smile. “Well, they never have. You humans are just like us; you don't care about anyone else but yourselves.”

Liebe didn't turn around to face Asta's reaction. Instead, he watched as the groom finally reached his bride and Langris Vaude finally snapped.

* * *

In went a little like this.

Finral reached Finesse and the priest, then bowed deeply to his bride before facing the priest and getting down on one knee. The crowd listened to a brief sermon until Ledior Vaude and his wife presented the diadem to priest to slide onto Finral's bowed head.

And as soon as the diadem left his father's hand and switched to the priest's, Langris snatched the diadem and easily slipped it onto his head. The crowd gasped, Finral balked, and Finesse froze.

“Did you really think I would let you take my woman?” He grinned, his eyes shining with the kind of mirth Finral hadn't witnessed in his brother in years. “After how hard I worked to take your place... you think I would let you just _take_ her from me?”

“Lan-”

Langris grabbed Finesse's arm and tore her from his brother's side before kicking him flat in the chest.

Yami Sukehiro, Magna Swing, and Luck Voltia were already at Langris' throat before Finral hit the floor. Charmy Pappitson bit Langris' arm and pried his fingers off the shaken bride before ushering her off to the corner where the rest of the Black Bulls stood with their weapons brandished.

“Langris! Stand down, right now!” Ledior Vaude roared.

“Make one move, and I'll slit your throat,” Yami promised as Langris' grin became maniacal.

“Langris,” Finral muttered while rising shakily to his feet. “I-it's not what you think. I swear, I-” Finral couldn't help the tears that poured mercilessly down his face. “I never meant for this happen, _I swear.”_

“Oh for the _love_ of the first Wizard King, it's all your fault, you blasted coward!” Lady Vaude screeched with fury at Finral's crying form. “If it wasn't for you, my little Langris would be fine!” She hurriedly stepped out of her shoe and picked up the pointed heel. “IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU, HE WOULDN'T BE LIKE THIS!”

Before her shoe could touch Finral's quaking shoulders, Noelle's water whip caught the woman's wrist, and spun her around in circles before shoving her into her husband. The lord and lady went tumbling to the ground, while Noelle promptly slid up to Finral, put her arms around his shaking form, and began to pull him away.

At the same moment, Finesse Calmreich fainted in Charmy Pappitson's arms.

“Finesse!” Her cousins cried. 

“Somebody get the doctor! She's in shock!”

“Did Ledior Vaude raise even _one_ sane child,” hissed King Augustus Kira Clover XIII.

Members of the Calmreich branch of the Kira clan shoved through the crowd and carefully took Finesse from Charmy's arms.

“OK everyone, show's over! Go the fuck home!” Yami yelled, sword still pressed against Langris' neck.

“I give up,” wheezed a thin voice. The guests looked for who the voice belonged to, and their eyes landed on the glassy-eyed bride on the floor.

“ _Finesse?”_ King Augustus Kira Clover XIII screeched.

“I can't marry them, Granduncle,” she said weakly. “I can't... look at them...”

“ _They're monsters!”_ King Augustus Kira Clover XIII screeched on her behalf. “The contract is null, Vaude! How _dare_ you create _two_ failures, and still think you're welcome to our riches!? No! I won't have it!! This wedding is _off for good!_ Sir Sekke! Take me home!!”

And so the king and his donkey departed, leaving his sick niece on the ground with her cousins, while the guests looked on distastefully at the current head of House Vaude and his sons.

“I SAID SHOW'S OVER!” Yami thundered again. “GO HO-”

“ _You,”_ Ledior Vaude hissed, somehow conjuring in front of Finral. “This is all your fault. You and your cursed mother, you've come back to haunt me.”

“Back off, old man,” Zora drawled placing a hand between the two, but Ledior was quicker, _too quick_ , and managed to snatch Finral away from both Noelle and Zora.

Ledior clutched his lapel. “You did this to my Langris... My Langris was supposed to grow up just fine, but you... you just _had_ to survive in your mother's womb, didn't you?”

“Father, I swear,” Finral sobbed helplessly in the older man's grip.

“Do you know how hard I had to convince myself not to send you away so that you would never step foot in society? But you ran before I could make a decision! I let it go, because at _least_ you were out of sight, but then you came back. You became a Magic Knight! You reminded me of your _existence._ And my poor Langris... he just couldn't stop comparing himself to you. Your very _birth_ is the reason why this happened. Gods, I wish you'd died with your mother the day you were born!” Ledior Vaude's hands left Finral's lapel and turned into glowing fists. _“I'd wish you'd never existed!”_

It happened all too quickly for anyone to stop, because the Black Bulls, they'd been prepared for a meltdown from Langris, and even the King, but the head of Vaude himself? No one expected the illustrious head of an illustrious house to conjure his rare magic in public, and then slam his fist through his own son's chest.

It happened all too quickly.

Langris screamed when the first drop of blood fell to the ground, and Finesse Calmreich was suddenly up on her knees as if her fainting spell was no longer relevant. Yami's sword dropped, and Luck's spark went out, end even Noelle stood frozen in fear, her wand useless, her magic useless, everybody _useless._

It was only when Asta's sword cut clean through Ledior Vaude's hand that everyone finally rushed to move. Magna and Zora held down a shrieking Langris while Asta kicked away Ledior's screaming figure and held both him and his wife down with the flat end of his sword. Finesse crawled to where Finral lay, while the rest of the guests rushed out of the courtyard and the Black Bulls and assorted Magic Knights rushed to get healers.

Finral stared dully up at the sky, and wondered when the storm would begin.

* * *

“Finral, can you hear me? Wake up, Finral, please wake up. Finral, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please wake up, please, please, plea-”

“-where the fuck is Owen!? Why isn't he here yet!?”

“There's a mana storm in the capital that's moving our way fast! He can't fly through it. Focus on the wound, and keep applying pressure. My boys are grabbing every healer in the vicinity.”

“This wasn't supposed to happen, I swear, we only meant to stop the wedding, he wasn't supposed to hurt you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sor-”

“-where's the witch, Yami? She's the only one who can help him. Yami – where's Vanessa?”

* * *

Finral met his mother at the clearing overlooking the river, prettier than any photo he'd ever managed to find of her.

“Lovely, innit?” She asked him with a chuckle. They stood side by side, watching as the sun dipped in the distance.

“Yeah... it is.”

“You dun well, you know? Better than I ever did.”

“I did?”

“Mmhmm. You made mistakes, you worked hard, and you did your best. I made mistakes, and I never stopped making them, not until I made you.”

Finral sniffed, not bothering to wipe his tears. “Don't say that.”

“It's true, luv,” she said wistfully. “I knew I was with a monster, but I liked money. I liked jewels. None too bright, you see. Didn't realize how bad it was until I had you in me stomach. He wanted to me to get rid of you... But I couldn't. I grew to love you.”

She turned to him, eyes big and wet, and Finral cried harder, cried as she took him in her arms and squeezed tight.

“I love, Finral. I wish I was there for you. Forgive ye old mum, wouldja?”

“I love you Mama,” he sobbed into her shoulder.

They cried and they hugged as darkness fell.

* * *

And yet, like everything else, the darkness didn't last for long.

Finral woke up groggily in his bedroom at Castle Vaude, surrounded by all of his teammates, Finesse, Langris, several healers, the Wizard King, Jack the Ripper, half of his squad, an army of servants – and Vanessa.

Vanessa, who he remembered not seeing in the audience on the day of his wedding. She sat with one leg over the other, her great hat laying prim and proper in it's place while Rouge purred contently on his chest.

“Had us spooked there, cowboy,” she teased with a smile.

“You came,” he whispered, teary-eyed.

“... Yeah, I did.” She smiled.

And he smiled back.

* * *

It took Charmy's cooking to keep them all from jumping on Finral and causing his next near-death experience. She knew her friend would go insane if he had another one of those in such a short period of time, so as Vanessa undid the violence with her arcane magic, Charmy cooked up a feast for the ages. Just as he began to wake up, she planted one of her cottons right underneath him so that when the first person leaped, he would immediately springboard off the bed and into another piece of cotton that would take him straight to the dining hall.

It happened just as she'd expected, and no one found it odd that Langris and Finesse were the first to jump.

It was over ungodly amounts of beef roast and wine that Finral learned of his ex-fiance and brother's botched plan to destroy hers and Finral's wedding so that Finral could finally be stripped of his duties to House Vaude, while Finesse was finally freed from the contract that had her tied to their house since before she was even born. The pair had apparently worked on it when they _should_ have been having polite conversations about the latest books and maybe the weather, but Langris and Finesse were softer than Charmy's cotton when it came to matters of the heart, so both of them sobbed loudly and comically as they apologized profusely for their antics as an equally loud and comical Finral snorted his wine through his nose before devolving into a fit of sobs. Liebe simply could not help but laugh, but even the demon teared up when the two brothers and the bride group-hugged at the head of the table.

And like most squabbles, Vanessa and Yami ended theirs in a begrudging handshake, which then devolved into a brawl after Yami commented on her early afternoon drunkenness and Vanessa retorted with a comment about his inability to hold down a long-term relationship with anything other than a cigarette.

Thankfully _that_ ended with bonks on the head, courtesy of Charmy's spoon, and one long, winding lecture from Gimodelo about the benefits of love and friendship.

* * *

“So Finesse-san is moving to Raque so she can be close to the water. Apparently she loves the ocean! Langris was formally announced as the head of house, but he's not doing a ceremony because he doesn't wanna ruffle any feathers. Finral-senpai still has a ton of paperwork to finish this week, but when he's done, he's gonna go up to the castle and help Langris with the transition! I think it's sweet that they're getting along so well. Captain Yami still won't admit Captain Jack is his boyfriend, but Charmy Paisen and Zora are working on that, so we should have an update by the end of the month. I wonder what Noelle wants to do for her birthday...”

Liebe blinked at the thing hogging his space, mushing him between hard muscle and a harder wall. “... why are you in my bed, Asta?”

Asta blinked. “Huh?”

“Your bed is below,” Liebe deadpanned.

Asta sheepishly rubbed his nose. “Sorry, I got comfortable.”

Liebe gulped when he saw the blush on Asta's face.

“Liebe?” Asta continued. “Do you like me?”

Liebe wished he could melt into the wall. “Huh?”

Asta was on his side, too close for comfort, hair in a disarray and eyes as clear and pure as spring water. Liebe had never seen anything more beautiful.

“Do you like me?” He asked again, a true, big smile blooming on his lips as Liebe remained frozen.

“What if I did?” Because Liebe was used to being the cautious one, used to being careful with his words and actions because he didn't want to get beaten and tossed like a ragdoll.

Asta continued to smile, and it was as if the sun itself were in their room. “I think I could like you too,” he replied shyly. “If you liked me...”

“Maybe.”

Asta's gaze became somber. “I want to make you happy forever.”

Liebe scoffed, but couldn't help the smile. “Forever?”

Asta's arm looped around his waist and pulled him close until their legs tangled together and their noses bumped. “Forever,” he whispered in return before pressing their lips together.

* * *

Vanessa lit a cigarette while Yami poured a glass of red wine. They exchanged the offerings and sat down for an evening of stargazing.

Nero watched the night sky from her perch, occasionally pecking at the fruit left by her nest.

And inside of his room, hunched over reams of paperwork, was one Finral Roulacase, finally free – finally happy.

And so it goes.

* * *


End file.
